Bloomberg reports that when a menswear version of Fashion Week takes place in New York City this summer, plastered all over the catwalks will be an unlikely name - Amazon, which, through three of its fashion sites (Amazon Fashion, East Dane and MyHabit) will sponsor the event.
The story notes that in recent years, Amazon has "pushed to enter the world of designer fashion, selling clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories from pricey brands with luxe reputations. Amazon reportedly also signed a multiyear deal last week to sponsor India Fashion Week, according to Women's Wear Daily ... the company has hired Barneys New York fashion director Julie Gilhart as an adviser, sponsored the 2012 Met Gala, and opened a 40,000-square-foot photography studio in Brooklyn. (The company plans to open an even bigger one in London.) And Amazon hosts events for students from such leading fashion schools as the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons the New School for Design."
The story notes that in recent years, Amazon has "pushed to enter the world of designer fashion, selling clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories from pricey brands with luxe reputations. Amazon reportedly also signed a multiyear deal last week to sponsor India Fashion Week, according to Women's Wear Daily ... the company has hired Barneys New York fashion director Julie Gilhart as an adviser, sponsored the 2012 Met Gala, and opened a 40,000-square-foot photography studio in Brooklyn. (The company plans to open an even bigger one in London.) And Amazon hosts events for students from such leading fashion schools as the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons the New School for Design."
- KC's View:
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One of the interesting things about this story is that it points out how, when it comes to fashion, Amazon actually has had to change its general approach to online retailing. In most categories, Walmart has thrived on being "the everything store," but in fashion, it has had to act more like a curator, picking and choosing carefully and hoping that it is not making the wrong bets in a segment where fashion can be fickle.
And, the piece points out, in his 2013 book, “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon,” author Brad Stone quotes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as frequently saying, “In order to be a two-hundred-billion-dollar company, we’ve got to learn how to sell clothes and food.”
